Hello All
I have read with great interest many of the post which are very interesting and plausible but like most photos of this nature are open to speculation.
It appears to have been taken in a old store/ house/ room or something similar. The candle seems to have been placed many years later just prior to the photo being taken.
I suspect it is taken with an old roll film camera with a faulty interlock to avoid you taking two pictures on ONE . IE double exposure one section of film. This would account for the LH side being taken in different light, after the RH side had already taken prior to the second one.
What looks like a mattress or stuffed armchair appears to have most of the straw "stuffing" exposed. This could be due to vermin having attacked the covering of the chair over time . The monkeys stance is probably due to the second exposure being taken at a slightly different angle to the first exposure.
This is my opinion based on progressive analysis, taking in to account that the objects in the room are from various dates. IE: the furniture object is typical of late Victorian with (copied Cromwellian type turned spindles). I do not think it is any para normal scene (very often used by speculators) for which is almost always a natural "double Exposure".
Before retirement I was involved in Engineering and Forensic Diagnosis, and I have applied the BASIC principles that I experienced over my lifetime. Without the actual photo(not a copy) , which is of very poor quality, in most cases a sound explanation could be reasonably achieved
Hope this gives room for thought on this intriguing photographic example.
Best Wishes to all
Raphael UK & D HNC. F.I.Diag.E. Uk & Diplo.Inj. Germany
